Tweak it!

Download and install the nightly build – the optimisations are not in the last beta/stable.

Open the iTerm2 preferences.

Under the Keys tab select only the first 2 checkboxes under Hotkey and change the Hotkey itself to ^` (default conflicts with Alfred’s).

Under the Appearance tab uncheck Hide tab bar when there is only one tab so you can easily drag in and out tabs from the visor.

Under the Profiles tab tweak the Hotkey Window profile to your liking. I use minimal transparency for better readability and Full-Width Left of Screen style so it doesn’t cover SublimeText, which I normally have on the left-side.

Now wherever and whenever you need the console, just press ^` to open the visor or bring it to the front if it already was. By leaving the 3rd checkbox unselected I’ve set it not to hide when it looses focus so I can keep an eye on logs while I make changes in SublimeText that cause hot-reloads via TiShadow or LiveView.